# Stretch vs Schengen Simple

> Schengen Simple is a well-made calculator for one zone, sold as a yearly subscription.

Source: https://doastretch.com/compare/stretch-vs-schengen-simple/

Comparison · Schengen calculators · 2026

Schengen Simple is a well-made calculator for one zone, sold as a yearly subscription. Stretch answers the same question free in your browser, then counts every other country from the same log. Here is how I would choose.

By David Toniolo, Do a Stretch · Updated 2026-08-29 · Prices and facts checked 2026-08-17 · 8 min read

## Who each one is for

Pick Schengen Simple if the Schengen area is your whole travel life, you want the deepest planning calendar for it, and it matters to you that a named human answers support. Pick Stretch if you want the Schengen answer now, free, in any browser, or if you also go somewhere else with a number attached.

**Start with [Stretch's free Schengen calculator →](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/).** Neither app is the official check. That is the EU's own short-stay calculator, and I link it at the end.

## TL;DR

| Feature | Stretch | Schengen Simple | Winner |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it counts | Every country on your passports | The Schengen 90/180 rule only | **Stretch** |
| Price | Counter, alerts and documents free forever; Stretch+ $49.99/yr | A week free, then a yearly subscription | **Stretch** |
| Reminders | 14, 7, 3 and 1 days out, and on the day | Allowance and reset dates in the calendar | **Stretch** |
| Forward planning | Multi-leg what-ifs in Stretch+ | Allowance for any future date, "Passport Control" mode | **Schengen Simple** |
| Documents | E-visas and arrival cards on the stay they cover | Not a documents app | **Stretch** |
| Where the rules come from | Source and checked date on every rule | Tested against the EU's official calculator | **Stretch** |
| Platforms and privacy | iPhone, Android; no account, no server | iPhone, Android; no account, iCloud sync | Tie |
| Support | Email from the maker | A named human, praised in reviews | **Schengen Simple** |

Schengen Simple is the best single-zone Schengen calculator on the store, and 4.8★ from about 2,400 UK ratings says so. But it counts one rule, and it charges a yearly subscription to do it. Stretch counts that same rule free in your browser, gives you the must-leave date and the reminders in the app for nothing, and counts every other country from the same log.

## Quick verdict

| If you want… | Choose |
| --- | --- |
| A free Schengen answer right now, no account | **[Stretch's calculator](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/)** |
| The deepest Schengen-only planning calendar, with a human on support | Schengen Simple |
| Every country's days counted, free, with reminders | **Stretch** |
| The must-leave date set the moment you land, anywhere | **Stretch** |
| A source and checked date on every rule you rely on | **Stretch** |
| Tax-day tallies and your entry forms prepared with you | **Stretch** (Stretch+) |

## Schengen Simple at a glance

**What it is.** A Schengen 90/180 calculator by Roycroft Labs (UK, 2022). Enter your Schengen trips and it shows how many days you have on any given date, when your allowance resets and — in "Passport Control" mode — exactly how long you have been inside in the current 180 days. It handles several travellers, so a family shares one app, and it is tested against the EU's official calculator.

**Price.** Free for a week, then a yearly subscription for full access. The UK App Store lists the in-app purchase at £7.99, £8.99, £9.99 or £14.99 depending on region (checked 17 August 2026); the market report puts it around $9.99 a year. There is no permanent free tier, and the reviews split between "worth every penny" and plain subscription fatigue.

**Platforms.** iPhone and Android, Android since April 2025. No account; your trips sync through iCloud.

**Rating.** 4.8★ from about 2,400 ratings on the UK App Store, and 10K+ installs on Google Play. Support is a named person who answers on Saturdays, and reviewers keep saying so.

## Stretch at a glance

**The calculator.** [Free, in your browser](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/). Type in your Schengen trips and it shows days used, days left and, if you are still inside, the last day you may stay. No account. It is not official EU software — the border decides.

**The app.** Counts every destination on your passports from one log, sets the must-leave date the moment you log an entry, reminds you at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days out and on the day, and keeps your e-visas and stickers on the stay they cover. All of that is free, forever. Every rule shows its source, the date I last checked it and a trust label, and I publish them at [doastretch.com/visa](https://doastretch.com/visa/). Stretch+ ($49.99 a year, seven-day trial) adds Explore, on-device GPS logging, tax-day tallies, multi-leg planning, travel-history PDFs, calendar sync, and the Visa Desk — it prepares your visa and entry-declaration forms with you; you review, pay the government and submit. iPhone and Android, no account and no server.

## Feature comparison

### What gets counted

Schengen Simple does one rule and does it well: the rolling 180-day window across the 29 Schengen countries, with a forward view so a trip you take today does not quietly wreck the one you booked for October. Stretch does the same arithmetic, and every other shape a border uses — limits that reset when you leave, visa-on-arrival days, e-visa allowances, annual caps — for every destination on your passports. One log feeds all of them, so a Malaysia stay and a Spain stay sit in the same place with the same reminders.

Winner Stretch — the same Schengen count, plus everywhere else.

**Check your own dates now.** [The free calculator](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/) counts forward day by day to your last legal day instead of subtracting, so the number you see is the one you have today. It is the same arithmetic the app counts with.

### Reminders and the must-leave date

Schengen Simple shows your allowance when you open it and colour-codes the calendar. Stretch sets the must-leave date the moment you log an entry and pushes reminders at 14, 7, 3 and 1 days out and on the day, for every stay and not only Schengen. Fourteen days is time to book a flight.

Winner Stretch — a counter that doesn't need to be opened to work.

### Forward planning

This is Schengen Simple's strength: your allowance on every date in the calendar, the reset dates, and a Passport Control mode for the desk. Stretch's free counter shows the days you have now and the date you must be out; the multi-leg what-if ("Portugal, then Croatia, then Georgia") is in Stretch+.

Winner Schengen Simple — for Schengen-only planning depth.

### Documents and paperwork

Schengen Simple does not hold documents. Stretch keeps e-visas, stickers and travel authorisations on the stay they cover, and its rulebook links the arrival cards and e-visa portals you have to complete before you fly — Thailand's TDAC, for instance — with the official government URL.

Winner Stretch — it isn't close.

### Where the rules come from

Schengen Simple is tested against the EU's official calculator, which is the right benchmark for one stable rule. Stretch shows, for every rule in every country, the source it came from, the date it was last checked and a trust label — verified against the official source, one source, reported, or sources disagree — and says plainly when a rule is not verified yet rather than inventing one. You can read the lot at [doastretch.com/visa](https://doastretch.com/visa/) before you install anything.

Winner Stretch — sources you can read, everywhere.

### Price

Schengen Simple charges a yearly subscription for a single-zone calculator. Stretch's counter, alerts, documents and pre-arrival checklist are free forever, with no trial that ends, and the one paid plan ($49.99 a year) buys Explore, the Visa Desk, GPS, tax-day tallies and planning. On the job both apps do — count Schengen days — Stretch costs nothing.

Winner Stretch — free beats £14.99 a year for the same job.

### Privacy and support

Both are refreshingly account-free. Schengen Simple syncs your trips through iCloud; Stretch keeps everything on the phone with no server to sync to, and location for auto-logging is handled on the device, where you confirm every border. On support, Schengen Simple is better: a named human, answering at weekends, and the reviews say so. Stretch is one nomad who runs his own stays on it; write to [hello@doastretch.com](mailto:hello@doastretch.com).

Winner Tie on privacy; Schengen Simple on support.

## Choose Schengen Simple if you…

- only ever need the Schengen 90/180 rule, and want the deepest planning calendar for it;
- want a named human on support enough to pay a yearly subscription for a calculator;
- don't need documents, reminders, other countries, tax days or entry forms.

## Choose Stretch if you…

- **want a free Schengen answer now** — [the calculator](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/), no install;
- **go anywhere else with a number attached** — Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Georgia;
- **want the must-leave date the day you land, and reminders that find you**, free, forever;
- **want to see where every rule came from** — and be told when it isn't verified yet.

## How we evaluated

- Whether one log serves every rule you are under, or only Schengen
- Whether the app tells you (reminders, must-leave date) or waits to be opened
- Forward planning depth, documents and pre-arrival paperwork
- Whether any rule shows its source and the date it was checked
- Price for the job the traveller came for, at each product's published top tier
- Everything read from the App Store, Google Play and roycroft-labs.com on 17 August 2026

## Frequently asked questions

**Is Stretch better than Schengen Simple?**

Yes for anyone who enters more than the Schengen area, and for the counting itself, which Stretch does free where Schengen Simple charges a yearly subscription. Schengen Simple has the deeper Schengen-only planning calendar and better human support; if Schengen is your whole travel life, it is a good app.

**Is Schengen Simple free?**

No. There is a one-week trial, then a yearly subscription for full access (£7.99–£14.99 depending on region on the UK App Store, checked 17 August 2026). Stretch's calculator is free in the browser, and the app's counter, alerts and documents are free forever.

**What is the best Schengen Simple alternative?**

Stretch, if you want the answer free in a browser or need any other country counted. [Start with the calculator](https://doastretch.com/tools/schengen-90-180-calculator/), which needs no install. The wider list is in [the best Schengen Simple alternatives](https://doastretch.com/alternatives/best-schengen-simple-alternatives/).

**Does Stretch calculate the Schengen 90/180 rule?**

Yes. It looks back 180 days on every date, shows the days you have now, counts forward to the last day you may stay, and sets the must-leave date and the reminders from that — plus every other country's rule from the same log.

**Is Schengen Simple on Android?**

Yes, since April 2025. Stretch is on iPhone and Android too, and the calculator runs in any browser.

## Sources

- Schengen Simple on the UK App Store — price tiers, 4.8★ (2.4k ratings), version 4.1.9: [apps.apple.com/gb/app/schengen-simple/id1637045933](https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/schengen-simple/id1637045933) (checked 2026-08-17)
- Schengen Simple on Google Play — Android since April 2025: [play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.schengensimple.android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.schengensimple.android) (checked 2026-08-17)
- Roycroft Labs product page: [roycroft-labs.com/schengensimple](https://www.roycroft-labs.com/schengensimple) (checked 2026-08-17)
- The EU's official short-stay calculator, the benchmark both apps are measured against: [home-affairs.ec.europa.eu](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/border-crossing_en) (checked 2026-08-17)
- Stretch's rules, with source and checked date: [doastretch.com/visa](https://doastretch.com/visa/)
- Stretch pricing and the free tier: [doastretch.com](https://doastretch.com/#plus)

Count it, don't carry it

## Do a stretch. Don't snap.

The counter, the alerts and your documents are free, forever. Coming to the App Store and Google Play — one email when it lands.

## Recommended reads

- [Stretch vs 90 Days Schengen: the Android Schengen counter with a 3.0★ problem \[2026\]](https://doastretch.com/compare/stretch-vs-90-days-schengen/)
- [Stretch vs Bounded: the two most complete travel-day trackers, compared honestly \[2026\]](https://doastretch.com/compare/stretch-vs-bounded/)
- [9 best Schengen Simple alternatives in 2026 (free, Android, and beyond Schengen)](https://doastretch.com/alternatives/best-schengen-simple-alternatives/)

Prices, ratings and features are as published by each product on the date shown; they change — check the store listing before you buy. Stretch is a tracker, not legal advice.